Exile's Return
by krtshadow
Summary: Tim Drake returns to Gotham after a forced three year exile. Intended to be the first of a series. Please review. Complete
1. Back In Town

I do not own these characters or any rights to them. I intend this story only for enjoyment and not any personal gain. Everybody belongs to DC. If I mangle them, however, it's all my fault! -krtshadow  
  
FYI: It's been three years since Jack Drake discovered what his son Tim did at night. Tim is returning from his banishment to Europe, and he has a few questions that he would like answered. Tim was almost 16 when he was found out, and is now only a couple of months away from 19.  
  
Chapter 1/5: Back In Town  
  
I returned to the United States via one really long flight, complete with screaming kids and a couple of horrible movies. Since I was paying for this one, I was not flying first class, or even business. Nope, I was stuck in coach. Sleeping was only a dream of mine, since the woman beside me was juggling three kids under ten all by herself. After an hour and a half of whining and crying, I took matters into my own hands. I pulled a pencil out of my pocket and began twirling it in my fingers. The two older kids, maybe 6 and 9 respectively, watched me out of the corner of their eyes.  
  
I added a pen to the mix and smiled inwardly at the look of awe that they gave my dexterity. The boy was sitting next to me and I asked him if he wanted to try. Both he and the girl nodded eagerly and I showed them how to manage it. "You'd better practice, though. It's not easy."  
  
The rather frazzled mother sent me a look of gratitude as they became occupied with wrapping their fingers around the objects. They weren't all that talented, but it kept them occupied for the better part of an hour, during which the mother was able to get her baby to sleep and pay a little more attention to the other children. I still couldn't sleep and watched the bad movies as a way to pass the time. The mother returned my pen and pencil to me as soon as the other two children fell asleep.  
  
My flight ended in Atlanta, where I managed to get through customs and find a hotel with relatively little problem. I used one of my more realistic fake ID's, purchased in a very seedy part of London. It had cost me a pretty penny, but it was good enough to fake me out, and hopefully anybody else that would be looking. I planned on staying here for a day before heading home. I told myself that I just needed some time to acclimate myself back into the US, but I knew that I just needed time to settle my nerves. I had the room until three o'clock the next day, so I could utilize the time for acclimation or nerve settling, either one. At eleven o'clock that night I dressed in comfortable black clothes and a black mask. Atlanta had no current superheroes and it was a perfect place for me to practice on a few of the things that I hadn't done for a while. The biggest of these was swinging through the night via d-cel cable.  
  
I spent several hours swinging and moving through the night. It came back to me remarkably quickly, the twist of the body to give you that little extra height, the tuck of the legs to enable rolling, and the instinctive balance that becomes second nature. Dang, it was good to be doing this again. I headed back to my hotel with a little more confidence, and went in through the window with out anybody being the wiser. Between jet lag, the fact that I hadn't been able to sleep on the plane, and my several hours of exercise, sleep sounded mighty nice. I fell into bed without even bothering to remove anything but my mask.  
  
The next morning, I checked out of my hotel with no little amount of anticipation and expectation in my belly. In just a few days now, I would know what my future might or might not be. I bought a bus ticket to Gotham.  
  
The ride was long and uneventful. I slept most of the way, since there were no crying children in my immediate vicinity. The man next to me looked like he'd appreciate his privacy as much as I appreciated mine, so I didn't even have to be sociable.  
  
I woke with a crick in my neck and an ache in my rear. I'd forgotten how much I hated buses. I glanced up, and noticed that we were just passing a sign stating that it was only ten miles to Gotham City. I was very glad to have reached my destination at last. The bus stopped and I stiffly rose from my seat. I retrieved my duffel from the overhead bin and headed out the door. The sign over the terminal stated in heavy black letters, "Welcome to Gotham". I wondered if anybody else would extend that greeting to me in my hometown.  
  
I found a room in one of the lesser quality motels and settled my meager belongings on the bed. One of the reasons I had chosen this particular place was the fact that they offered Internet access. My laptop was out and set up in minutes. I had stayed abreast of current events while overseas, but I needed to get up to date on a few of my favorite people.  
  
SEARCH: Jack Drake Hmmm, Dad hadn't been up to much recently. Business was doing fine, was seen at such and such social gathering, stock is rising slowly but steadily. Wife Dana expecting their first child. WHAT? Oh, that would have been nice to know. She's due in about a month. Well, that's a surprise. Son Tim is overseas, studying. Heh, not anymore he's not. Well, other than the fact that I'll be a big half brother soon, nothing too awfully surprising there.  
  
SEARCH: Bruce Wayne Donated a million dollars to this charity, seen attending that banquet, possible relationships with no less than four supermodels. Business as usual for the enigmatic Mr. Wayne. Wayne Industries was doing very well, had just acquired several smaller companies.  
  
I searched for a couple of other random Gotham elite, and then moved on to Gotham's superheroes.  
  
SEARCH: Batman Myth. Considered a very dangerous vigilante in the Gotham area. Sightings listed in the normal places. Occasionally seen with a female, also dressed as a bat. Possible connections with Nightwing, a Bludhaven vigilante, and the JLA.  
  
Not any new information there, but I really hadn't expected much considering the fact that Oracle no doubt carefully monitored what was revealed to the public.  
  
Well, if Oracle was anything like she used to be, that little series of searches would set off an alarm somewhere. I wondered if my current ID would really hold up under the kind of scrutiny that she could bring to bear. Oh well, if it didn't, the secret would be out just a little sooner than I'd planned. It wouldn't be the end of the world.  
  
I donned my night gear again and stepped out onto my balcony. Carefully scanning the night for any prying eyes, I found none, and launched a grapple line towards a convenient overhang. I swung from the balcony and melted into the shadows of the rooftops of Gotham.  
  
The night was alive with sounds and smells that were so familiar I could place them without even thinking. That rather oily smoky smell from the industrial district, the sour smell of ozone from all the lights on the casino's down on Third. The faint salty smell that drifted in from the harbor if the wind was right and the smell of gas fumes from the cars below. Everything was still the same. I'd changed, but Gotham hadn't. I stood at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Gotham, dressed in black, waiting.  
  
She was very good. If I hadn't been expecting something similar, I'd have never even heard her, and that's saying something now. She came up behind me, quiet and deadly. I didn't move until I figured that she was ten feet behind me, and then I jumped. Wind whistled in my ears as I fell out of her reach. I knew that she would follow me, but also knew it would take her precious seconds to prepare for the jump. By then she'd never find me.  
  
I fired a grapple and swung away quickly. I grinned in delight as the wind beat against my face. I was stronger, and quicker, and I gloried in the fact that I'd have never been able to make that jump a couple of years ago. I wanted to stay out longer, but I knew that Cass had likely called my presence in and I wouldn't be able to stay out unless I wanted to be rudely captured. That was not what I'd had in mind.  
  
After changing to normal street clothes, I returned to my room to see that it had been searched. Very efficiently, too. I double checked my laptop and was relieved to see that who ever had been in here had not found my double hard drive. Any information that they read on drive number one would have only stated that I was writing two papers for a school project, one on the mysterious defenders of Gotham and one on the illustrious elite of Gotham. Probably wouldn't convince anyone that I was totally harmless, but at least I had a reason to be looking up the things that I was. I knew that I could still expect to have a couple of eyes on me for the duration of my stay in Gotham. Or at least until they actually figured out who I was. I was able to nonchalantly locate both the bug and the camera that had been placed in my room. I was tempted to wave for the camera and say hi to Barbara, but I didn't want to be responsible for any heart attacks. Plenty of time for that later. Heh.  
  
END CHAPTER 1  
  
More coming soon. Please comment, I like even constructive criticism. This will have several more chapters, and is intended to the start of a series. I also take suggestions, although I make no promises. ;o) -krtshadow 


	2. Canary Sighting

Thanks for all the feedback. Here's chapter #2. Sorry its so short, the next one will be longer, I promise. And very interesting. ;) -krtshadow  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Canary Sighting  
  
When I woke up in the morning, I once again resisted the urge to talk to Babs and quickly got dressed for the day. I planned to buy a motorcycle today, and that little job took most of the day. I knew that I probably wouldn't need it for long, one way or another, but I needed it to be both affordable and able to actually work beyond the car lot. I picked up one of the people following me, but it wouldn't have surprised me if there were more that I missed. I had no intentions of underestimating the resources of the people who were trying to figure out who I was and what I was doing in Gotham.  
  
I grinned to myself. I was lucky that three years had done so much to my face. I'd lost the smooth baby face that had haunted my early teens and I'd finally gotten taller. I imagined that I'd be as tall as Dick now, though probably an inch or two shorter than Bruce. And, although I hate to brag, I'd finally received the reward of all of my hard work in a very filled out and muscular body. I was also utilizing a few makeup and cosmetic changes just to throw them off.  
  
Decision time. Did I go in tonight or wait? The cave, the manor or Dick's? Maybe I should see my Dad first. I considered the fact that I might not want to know the answers to my questions from either Dad or Bruce. Gritting my teeth slightly, I made the call. Tonight, the cave, and to heck with the answers, as long as I got them.  
  
I went into my room and changed into my night outfit, making sure that the camera could see. That would catch her attention. Now she knew I was up to something, since she likely had Cass's report of me from last night. When I went back out to my bike, it had a very cleverly hidden tracer. Well, clever unless you knew where she told her people to hide them, which I did. I disabled it with a flick of the wrist and tossed into my coat pocket. My helmet hid my mask, and with the leather jacket covering the weapons strapped to my back, I was as incognito as I was going to get. Unless things had changed a whole lot, the cave would be empty at this time of night, as both Bruce and Cass would be on patrol. Alfred would be upstairs preparing food for the weary, and Dick should be in Bludhaven. I took to the streets, heading in the general direction of Wayne Manor.  
  
I cursed to myself as a black motorcycle slipped through traffic and followed me. I recognized the person following me and stifled a groan. I didn't have any quarrel with Black Canary, and she was good enough that I was either going to have to be very creative to get rid of her or actually hurt her. The last was not an option, so I began to run ideas through my head.  
  
I weaved my way through downtown traffic, hoping to lose her in the shuffle. I had an advantage in that my cycle didn't have a tracer anymore, and I knew that if I could just lose her for a minute, she'd never find me again. Dinah also assumed that I didn't know my way around town, since I'd only got here yesterday, and my ID showed that I'd spent my whole life overseas. So, I could use the fact that Bruce had drilled every side street and alley into my head to my advantage.  
  
I reached deep into my memory, and knew that Third connected with Fourth through a small alley just south of here. I u-turned at the next possible place and headed for that alley. If I could get there just a couple of seconds before she did, I might be able to lose her there. I pushed the bike to the limit, screaming down Third at 95 miles per hour. Canary seem surprised by my sudden increase in speed, and it took her a moment to react. Then she sped up as well, following me. Her bike was more powerful than mine, she'd catch up in a minute or so, but it wouldn't matter, since if this worked, she'd never get the chance.  
  
My next maneuver required my total concentration, so I blocked all other thoughts from my head. I skidded into the alley at a speed that could have killed me if the bike tipped. Luckily it didn't, and I cut speed quickly. The fire escape was right where it used to be, and I hopped off the bike as it was still moving and guided it up to the first landing. I cut the motor totally and moved it into the shadows. Realizing that I had a couple of extra seconds, I turned the bike around so that it faced the stairs and fumbled in my weapons belt for some kind of weapon. I located one of my more generic ninja throwing stars and held it at the ready.  
  
Dinah screeched into the alley, and I held my breath. She continued on to the end of the alley and slowed, trying to figure out which way I'd went. She cursed as she realized that I was nowhere in sight. She cocked her head and muttered something, obviously contacting Oracle with the news.  
  
She turned the bike and headed backed back to where we'd entered the alley. Suddenly, she stopped. She stopped her bike and got off, kneeling in the dust and grime of the alley. Hmm, I'd wondered if she'd catch on that my tracks didn't lead out of the alley. She took another step away from her bike and that was my cue to leave. I flicked the throwing star at her gas tank and was rewarded by a hole and slowly leaking gas. Canary whirled and looked up to where I was hiding in the shadows.  
  
Time to get outta here. I gunned the motor on my bike and headed down the steps at a dangerous speed. Canary dove out of my way as I peeled out of the alley. I grinned to myself. With a punctured gas tank, she couldn't follow me. I cruised around town for another ten minutes carefully watching for anybody else on my tail. Finally convinced that I'd lost all pursuit, I headed out of town, in the direction of Wayne Manor. 


	3. Heart Attacks

Chapter 3: Heart Attacks  
  
The back way into the cave was still very difficult to find, even though I knew the way like the back of my hand. The security systems had been upgraded and were top of the line, as always. I made it through, although it took me about twenty minutes longer than it should have. Oh well, I hadn't learned as much about this during my travels as I had other things, so I guess it shouldn't have surprised me much. It was a thrill, me against the multitude of computers and booby traps that only rather twisted minds could have thought up.  
  
I got in without tripping anything or setting anything off or killing myself, which I considered the important part. It still looked mostly the same, a few additions to the trophy room, a better medical facility, better lighting in most of the rooms. It was the addition of another case in the main cave that caught my attention. It was a very small one, and was closer to the entrance than Jason's. It contained a shining throwing star, in the shape of a stylized, uppercase r. Interesting. At least there wasn't a "good soldier" plaque. I think that might have been just a little too much to take.  
  
Well, enough reminiscing. Time to get this show on the road. I went into one of the medical rooms and removed my mask. I washed away my make up and removed the little changes that I'd made to my face to render it unrecognizable. Looking in the mirror removed the doubt from my mind. They'd recognize me now. I was the picture of Jack Drake at my age, although in much better shape. Moving back to the main cave, I disabled the cameras near the computer, and just in case that wouldn't get noticed, I 'accidentally' tripped one of the alarms. Heh. Time to cause a couple of heart attacks.  
  
And it served them right, too. I'll teach them to ignore me for three years. I sat at the computer and started hacking. I could picture the horrified look on Barbara's face as I worked. I wasn't all that surprised when the computer had a random error and shut down. She was doing the best damage control that she could until the rest of the clan could get here. Hopefully, she'd notify Alfred to stay away, I didn't want to have to deal with him yet.  
  
I used a little trick to get by Oracle's little error, and was greeted with the Face. Her computerized voice was laced with venom as she warned me. "I don't know who you are, or why you are here, or how you got in, but if you want to live out the night you would be highly advised to step away from the computer. I'm warning you, you will not like the people who's domain you have invaded."  
  
Well, that may or may not be true, but I didn't say a word. Anything that came out of my mouth right now would be run through a voice synthesizer before I could blink, and I wanted the clan to have no warning about who they were dealing with. I kept my face turned away from the working cameras and waited. I wanted answers with as little premeditation as possible. I knew who I was dealing with, and he was infamous for doing and saying things to accomplish something rather than actually communicate or have a relationship. I just wanted to know why they abandoned me, why they seemed to forget about me as soon as I ceased to be useful. I needed to know why.  
  
Two cars came screeching into the cave. Hmmm, Dick must have been in town. Perfect. One big family reunion. Batgirl and Batman erupted from the Batmobile, as Nightwing effortlessly leaped from the, the, whatever he was calling it these days. They were on the verge of attack when I spun the chair around in a half circle and looked at what I had considered my family for most of my growing up years. I spared a glance for Dick and Cass, but my eyes went straight to Bruce and stayed there. "Hello, Bruce, Dick, Cassandra," here I nodded at one of the cameras that I was now facing, "Barbara."  
  
It was almost amusing to see their reactions. Dick's jaw dropped, and he almost fell over he stopped so fast. Cassandra, who had been in the process of melting into the shadows, took a step towards me, her mask not allowing me to know what she thought. The reaction that I didn't understand was Bruce's. He froze, a smile almost came to his lips and then his back went ramrod straight, his lips formed a slight frown, and he crossed his arms, the perfect picture of the grim Dark Knight. One of the monitors on the side of the cave fuzzed slightly and became Barbara's face. She was staring at me like I was a ghost. Silence descended on the cave, as I waited for somebody to say something.  
  
Barbara was the first to find her voice. "Tim?"  
  
This unleashed the human whirlwind that is Dick, and he shot me a big grin as he vaulted towards me. "Little brother, man, is it good to see you." He was halted by the icy glance I sent his way. Shocked, he took a step back. I didn't want to hurt him, but after all that time when I would have killed for a letter, an email, anything to let me know that they even knew that I was alive, I was in no mood for a hug and a pat on the back.  
  
Cassandra took another step towards me and removed her mask with a quick gesture. Her eyes were huge as she looked at me. She seemed worried, and although I tried to glare at her too, it didn't come out quite as harsh. I doubted that she had had any say in the decision to cut contact with me, and I had no real argument with her.  
  
My gaze shifted back to Bruce who had remained in the same position, directly in front of me and two steps down, which put my face level with his. I raised an eyebrow at him, still waiting. He took a breath and stated in a calm and even tone, "Hello, Tim."  
  
Considering the course that this encounter was taking, I felt that a little sarcasm wouldn't be out of order. "Well, I'll admit I'm amazed that you all actually remembered my name. I was thinking that I'd have to fight you all off until I was able to remind you. Congratulations, you all have remarkable memories." I didn't bother to hide all of the anger in my voice. Better to get this over with right away, so then I'd know if I was even welcome or if I should find my own city to defend. If it came to that, I'd have to head to the West Coast or something, because I didn't want to have to deal with them at all.  
  
Dick took another step back, and his face became like stone, revealing no emotion. Bruce actually winced at my words, although he cleared his face so quickly I doubt that anybody else even noticed. Cassandra melted into the shadows and I heard footsteps on the stairs. She wasn't stupid, she saw one huge verbal battle in the making and went to find the person who she thought could stop it. However good her intentions, I wouldn't let Alfred stop this one. I needed to know why. I needed to understand. WHY?  
  
I took a deep breath, knowing that I'd lost control of my emotions for a second, and that two detectives of Dick and Bruce's caliber had been able to read every line of my face in that brief second. I blinked and my own stone face slid back into place. I anchored it there with every ounce of my willpower, needing it to stay there to protect me from what I expected to hear. Considering my options in that amount of time between one breath and the next, I concluded that my best option was guarded honesty. "I need to know why, Bruce. Why would the man I considered my second father, the man I respected most," my gaze shifted to Dick, "my brother, my grandfather, and someone who would have been my sister if I'd gotten the chance to know her better, why would my family seem to forget I was even alive for three years? Or wasn't it a family?"  
  
Dick stepped forward, anger written all over his face. I stopped him with a wave, and fixed my attention back on Bruce. Dick still looked like he wanted to tear my head off, but he looked at Bruce and settled down, leaving the talking to him. Bruce still had not moved, and met my gaze with out blinking as he answered, "It was the best decision." Not good enough and he knew it. I shot him a glare and he tried again. "I thought it was best to sever all ties to you." I could tell from the reaction that Dick had to those words that there was more going on here. Dick had shifted his eyes from me and sent Bruce a remarkable approximation of the Look.  
  
"My question was why. Answer that, and I won't bother you again." I know my voice sounded ice cold, but I was having more difficulty in this confrontation than I'd expected. A big part of me wanted to grin and go back to the sixteen-year-old I'd once been. But I couldn't. I had to know if the sense of family that I'd had for a few short years was true. If it wasn't, then so be it. If it was, I wanted to know what could possibly cause my family to abandon me, when I needed them the most.  
  
Bruce's face changed. He looked like he was in the midst of a struggle. Finally, he reached up and pulled the cowl off. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. I was surprised, since I didn't think that I'd ever seen him look so. tormented. Obviously, something was bothering him greatly. When he returned his gaze back to meet my eyes, it was almost like he'd released the barriers that had held his emotions in check. "When your father found out, he contacted me through the police department. He told me that if I didn't swear to withhold all contact from you that he would reveal your identity, disown you and see that you were sent to juvenile court for your 'crimes' as Robin." His anger showed in his face, and just as clearly, his pain at what he'd chosen. "He was deadly serious. I gave my word." His face closed down again, waiting for my reaction.  
  
I spun my chair around, needing the blankness of the computer screen in front of me so that I could control myself. Four sentences. Three years of loneliness and trying to come up with every possible reason why they could have abandoned me and I'd never come up with that one. My first reaction was anger. Anger at Bruce for the decision he'd made, anger at my father for what'd he'd done, and even anger at myself for the mistake I'd made that had made Dad aware of my secret life. I cleared my mind and thought through the problem. I hated to think that Dad would have done that to me, but he had been so furious that I'd been involved in what he considered illegal activities that I didn't doubt the truth of Bruce's statements. Bruce really hadn't had a choice, and he was very likely holding back a lot of the conversation to save my feelings.  
  
I knew that Dad had had me watched every second of the day for a long time after I'd been sent away, but I'd never considered that they were watching to see if anyone would contact me. It was likely that the threat had held true if anything had made Dad even suspect of communications between me and anybody in the hero business. Bruce probably could have snuck something by, but the risks were high, and the consequences dire. All the plans and abilities of the Batman were nothing if he wanted to save me from losing my birth family and any chance of a normal life. Although I'd never really wanted a normal life, it wasn't Bruce's decision to make. It was mine, to be made when I was old enough. Which I now was. 


	4. Brotherly Conflict

Here's chapter four. Thanks to everyone who's send me such nice reviews. Please don't stop. This isn't the end, there will be one more chapter, and then I have to decide if I want to make a series out of it. (Hint: if you think I should, let me know!!) krtshadow  
  
Chapter 4: Brotherly Conflict  
  
I realized that I'd been thinking for at least ten minutes and the cave was still deadly silent behind me. I heard footsteps on the stairs again, as Cassandra returned, followed by the slower steps of Alfred. I could tell from where the footsteps stopped that they'd halted at the foot of the stairs and joined the rest of the family in waiting for my reaction. I'd so hoped that there would be a valid reason for the years of silence, and although I now had yet another issue that I needed to discuss with my Dad, it was now time to repair my relationship with my real family.  
  
I could imagine that there had been some mighty heated battles over this issue, and it wasn't fair to make them wait any longer. I'd been lonely, but I could at least understand why they had done what they did, and I would have probably made the same decision Bruce had. I felt years of worry roll off my back. The very thought that they were seriously concerned about how I'd react reassured me that they did care about me. He did care.  
  
I turned the chair back around. They were still standing there, watching me. Oracle's face was white with strain. Cass was clutching Alfred's hand, who was looking at me with barely concealed hope on his face. Dick was biting his lip, and Bruce was back in full-fledged Bat mode, with no emotion on his face and his arms crossed in front of him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Bruce." Everyone was still frozen in place as I opened my eyes and continued, my voice shaking slightly from the strain. "I'm not dealing with the idea that Dad would disown me all that well now; it would have probably killed me a couple of years ago. I'm sorry you had to make a decision like that." I managed a rather shaky smile.  
  
I wanted to say something else, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Anyway, I didn't have a chance since the room erupted. Barbara was cheering, as Alfred submitted to a hug from Cassandra, and I swear I saw Bruce's shoulders slump with relief. Dick was headed towards me for his long awaited back pounding and hug and I had to laugh at the look on his face when I stood up. I guess he wasn't expecting me to be as tall as he was. He threw his arms around me and slammed me on the back. He quietly whispered in my ear, "Thanks, Tim, he's been dreading this for years. He just thought I didn't notice. I was going to have to kick your butt if you hurt him." He pulled back and grinned at me. "Gosh, you grew. What'd they feed you over there?"  
  
I smirked at him, happy to forget about Dad for a while. "Lots, that's all I asked. And what makes you so sure you could kick my butt anymore?" I turned away before he could challenge me right then and there.  
  
I almost ran into Cassandra and Alfred, who was being dragged along protesting all the way. I gathered that he wanted to go upstairs and fix food for everyone, and Cass was totally ignoring his protests. Alfred stuck out his hand for me to shake and then smiled as I totally ignored it and gave him a hug. I was shocked to see that he looked older than I'd remembered. Cass settled for a huge grin and a handshake. She'd definitely grown up over the last couple of years. Of course, seeing her in the Batgirl costume left little to the imagination. Wow was an understatement.  
  
I managed to get through the melee and down the steps to Bruce who was still standing in the center of the room. The room fell silent again as I neared him. He gave me a Bruce smile, which consisted of a slight upward twitch, and I grinned back. "Welcome back, Tim." Like Alfred, he stuck out his hand to shake and I gave him my very best 'you've got to be kidding' look. I gave him a hug and was amazed that he returned it, although very awkwardly. Hmm, maybe he'd softened up a little in his old age. I grinned to myself as I considered the wisdom of sharing this comment. Nah.  
  
I was just so relieved that there had been a reason for them not contacting me, and it hadn't been that I wasn't useful anymore. I was also glad that they seemed to welcome me back. I had been so hurt for the first two years. It had only been in the last couple of months that I considered that there may have been a good reason. I had just wanted to know why, and since I did now, I felt like a fifty pound weight had been taken off my shoulders. I wondered how far this welcome would extend and decided that that could wait for awhile. Deal with one thing at a time.  
  
The next half an hour was full of questions. Cass wanted to know why I'd snuck in, and also how I got though the booby traps. Barbara wanted to know if I wanted an update on all of my superhero friends, and also how I'd managed to hack the computer. Alfred wanted to know if I was hungry, and if I was 'in good health'. Dick just wanted to know if I really thought that I could take him now. Bruce just sat in the chair that I had vacated and watched the proceedings with just the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes. I knew he wanted to ask me about my dad but was waiting for a more opportune moment. We still needed to talk, and we both knew it, but I know I was relieved that the hardest part was over.  
  
Out of all of the questions, I thought it might be fun to deal with Dick's first. I'd have felt really funny just announcing some of the changes I'd made in my life, and this gave me ample room to show off one of the biggest. I interrupted his diatribe about how I'd never been able to take him and never would be able to take him, and remarked with a gleam in my eye that there was only one way to solve this suitably. He took the bait with remarkable ease, and led the way to the practice mat. The others followed and Babs activated a camera and monitor in the gym as we came in. I noticed that Bruce was paying very close attention to us. Hmm, he probably is just as curious as Dick as to whether or not I've gotten any better over the years.  
  
I allowed myself an inward smirk. This was going to pay back years of having to admit that Dick was the best. There was no way that any of them had any suspicion of just how I'd spent my free time while in exile. I'd employed more stealth and trickery in a couple of years than I'd even dreamed was possible before I left the States.  
  
Dick removed his mask and gauntlets and moved to the center of the mat. I shrugged out of my jacket and removed my weapons belt as it went, keeping them hidden in the folds. No use warning Dick that I'd picked up some ninja stuff somewhere. I moved to meet Dick and we began the dance.  
  
I think that Cass was the first to pick up on the fact that I'd learned a few things. She was used to reading body language, and I'd definitely changed dialects. She said nothing, only stiffened slightly and watched me. I studied Dick's form as we circled. As far as I could tell, he hadn't changed it any since we last fought. He was being slightly cautious to begin with, but the same moves were all there. He moved on the balls of his feet, planning his moves to work well with his agility and acrobatics. He studied me as I moved, probably noticing that I was surer on my feet and quite a bit more confidant in my abilities. I was being careful not to show anything else. I waited for him to make the first move.  
  
He obliged with a feint to the right side. I didn't even blink, since it was a very obvious ploy. I even lowered myself so far as to cock a mocking eyebrow in his direction. He grinned back at me and came at me with a strong-arm punch. I blocked with my right forearm and avoided the leg sweep that followed. He came up from that with a full front kick and once again, I was able to avoid easily. His eyes narrowed slightly, I'd have never been able to duck that one three years ago without at least getting tagged.  
  
Before he could totally process what that might mean, I attacked. I somersaulted forward, going head over heals in front of him, coming up to catch him around the waist with my legs before he could move. Using my momentum I flipped him to the ground and continued to roll, landing on my feet as he climbed back to his. Now it was war. I thoroughly enjoyed the look on Dick's face as I blocked everything he threw at me, including a few things that I think he made up on the spur of the moment. After about two minutes of this, I moved through his guard, anticipating his acrobatics to avoid me and took him to the ground. We rolled around for a few seconds and then I pinned him.  
  
From my perch on top of his body, I grinned at him. He was trying a couple of tricks to get away, but I had him and he knew it. "I could make you say it, y'know. But I won't. Yet." In the background I could hear Cass and Babs laughing. I rolled off of him and stuck out a hand to help him to his feet.  
  
He was slightly annoyed that I'd won, but he was grinning anyway. "Ok, Timbo, you've done some practicing somewhere. I'd better start working out." Bruce was watching with a twinkle in his eye. Well, it was actually more of a glimmer, or maybe the light was shining in his eyes. Whatever the case, he didn't look all that surprised that I'd taken Dick. I wondered if he could read styles as well as Cass could, it wouldn't surprise me that he could.  
  
I felt somebody move behind me and I turned instinctively to find Cass in the center of the mat. She beckoned me with two fingers of one hand and did a remarkable imitation of Dick's smirk. Behind me, I heard Dick laugh. "Heck, it might be worth it to see her kick your tail. Alfred, do you have any popcorn? No wait, come back, I was just kidding. Alfred!"  
  
As Dick dragged Alfred away from his kitchen, I looked at Cass. This would be a little more difficult. Who am I trying to fool? This would be a lot more difficult. Still, maybe it was better that the clan learn the depth of my training now. She'd removed her cape, and detached the cowl from her costume. Her belt was carefully coiled up beside her cape. I removed the outer part of my boots, leaving the soft inner toe splits that were better for balance. I also removed my thick reinforced outer shirt, leaving me in a thin muscle shirt. I was going to need the mobility. Plus, it looked like she'd removed her bulletproof undervest, although I didn't even want to think about how she did that and left the costume on. Alfred and Dick returned, Dick apologetically carrying a huge bowl of popcorn.  
  
Well, let's see if my training was as good as I thought it was. 


	5. Fight of Styles

Chapter 5: Fight of Styles (5/5)  
  
Suddenly, Cass ran out of the room. I looked after her and then looked to the others, who shrugged as one person. Seconds later she came back, carrying my old bo stick in her hand. She tossed it to me and leaned closer. "You can have weapon, to give you a chance." Everyone had to laugh at her comment, mostly because they thought that it was probably true. Well, if she was willing to let me use a weapon.  
  
I tossed the bo towards Dick, who caught it reflexively. Moving over to my jacket, I bent down to reveal my until then concealed weapons belt. Dick was by my side in a flash, peeking at my stuff. I turned and pointed my index finger at his nose. "Look, don't touch." Opening one of the pouches I pulled out my modified bos. Both of them. I'd designed these my self, and they were a mixture of my previous bo, and several other weapons that I'd learned over the years. Extendable like my old weapon, they were heavier and slightly shorter than my original bo, but still about double the length of Dick's escrima sticks when extended. I'd found that since I'd modified them to my own liking, fewer people knew how to react to them since I'd come up with my own style that was a mixture of several disciplines and utilized styles from several other weapons. When contracted, they fit into the palm of my hand.  
  
I carried them this way as I returned to the mat. Cass's eyes were gleaming. I got the feeling that she really loved a good contest, and if she was still as good as she had been when I'd left, she was probably having trouble finding sane people willing to spar seriously with her. Well, I'll try anything once. No use even trying to hide my training from her like I had with Dick. I melted into one of the higher level xingyi* defense poses, something that they all knew I hadn't known the first clue about before I left. Heh. Just wait. I heard Dick muffle a curse as he realized the import of my knowing a very complicated and elite eastern martial art form. Then I zoned the rest of the world out and focused on Cass alone.  
  
If my little melee with Dick had been a dance, my fight with Cass was a mixture of equal parts ballet, gymnastics, and deadly martial arts. I held nothing back, and after I almost took her head off with an extending bo, I don't think she did either. My every sense was alert, trying to read her movements the way she read mine. I had studied under a teacher that utilized the sight method, and he had been able to teach me the rudiments of the way that it worked. Even more valuable were the masking moves that he taught me, the ability to hide my intentions until the very last second, and hope that she couldn't react fast enough.  
  
Unfortunately, it only worked about half of the time, and she kept wearing me down. I did get a couple of punches in though, and the look on her face was priceless when I toppled her to the ground with an obscure version of the twisting side kick. She was up before I could press my advantage, however, and the match finally ended with me on the ground, one bo clear across the room where it had been flung by a kick, the other in Cass's hand and pointed at the hollow of my throat. If this had been for real, she could crush my throat before I could do anything to stop her.  
  
Luckily for me, this wasn't for real. I threw up my hands. "I surrender. Don't kill me, please." The sarcastic tone in my voice made her laugh and she flipped the bo back to the small size with a flick of her wrist.  
  
I rolled to my feet, wincing as I felt my bruises. She'd connected a couple more times than was healthy for me waking up happy in the morning. Then I happened to catch sight of our audience. Dick was standing by the monitor with Bab's face on it and they were both sporting identical open- mouthed visages. Alfred gave me a proud grandfather smile, and Bruce was smiling? Well, twitching. I gave him an incredulous look and he pointed to Dick and Babs. They did look pretty funny. I gathered that it had been a while since anyone had actually given Cass a run for her money. I hadn't really expected to win, and I was reasonably proud of my performance. If I'd had to, I could have fought her to the point where I could get away, and that was probably all that I'd ever be able to accomplish with someone of her talents. Seeing Dick with his jaw hanging open just sweetened the pot.  
  
Dick shut his mouth with a snap and looked me right in the eye. "Is it ok if I just admit that you're the best now and maybe we can just skip the next fight altogether? My butt's hurting just thinking about it." He gave me a pained look. "You weren't even trying with me, were you? No, don't answer that, on second thought, I don't want to know."  
  
Babs broke in, "What I want to know is how you went from a talented but average fighter to, to. whatever you are now."  
  
Bruce stepped over to look at my weapons belt, picking it up to examine the contents. "I'd like to know that myself, Tim. You've improved far beyond what I ever thought you'd be capable of."  
  
I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, and Barbara's comment about average rankled a little, but I knew that it was true. Explaining my past three years would take hours and I really wasn't up to all that tonight. I tried to think of a polite way to say that I wasn't sure that I was ready to go into that. Well, once again, honesty works. "I'm not really ready to talk about all that yet." Every eye turned to me in surprise. I hurried to preface my statement with, "Nothing personal or anything, and I'm sure you'll get the whole story eventually, but some of it's kind of. hmm. different? Abnormal? No, that's not right either." I was at a loss for words.  
  
Alfred saved me by calmly stating that it wasn't polite to inquire into personal matters without permission. He met the eyes of each person in the room and I suddenly had no doubt that no one would ask about it until I brought it up. Heh. People only think Batman rules the clan.  
  
Cass came up beside my elbow and handed me my bo's. Dick obviously wanted to inspect them, so I tossed one over. The other I handed to Bruce, who inspected it for about three seconds and then returned it to its home on my belt. He handed me the belt with a nod. Dick was extending and contracting my bo, whirling it about his head. When I held out my hand, he gave it to me grudgingly. I could tell that he liked them. Digging back in my belt, I handed him my spare set. "Just get them back to me when you're done with them. I'm headed back to the motel. I think we all need some time to think." I looked at Bruce. "I do have some questions for you, and I'm sure that you have some for me. Tomorrow night? I'll even come in the front door." Bruce looked like he wanted to hash things out right here and now, but I needed to get away and rearrange my thoughts a little. Too much had happened for me to be comfortable adding anything else to the mix. I needed to get some information about my Dad and I didn't think that I could handle that tonight.  
  
Alfred looked offended. "You will certainly not be returning to the motel, young man. I have perfectly suitable quarters for you upstairs and they will be much more comfortable than any motel."  
  
I honestly tried to convince Alfred to let me go, but it was like arguing with a brick wall. Before I knew it, I was being bustled upstairs, jacket, boots and weapons belt still in hand. I heard the murmur of voices start up in the cave, and would have loved to know what they were saying, but Alfred didn't give me a chance to evesdrop. "Master Tim, I declare, you have grown up. Why when you left you were still a young boy and now you've become a man."  
  
Alfred rattled on all the way up to the room where he immediately set about to 'put the room to rights', as I know he'd call it. I watched for a second and then squeezed my words in edgewise. "Thanks, Alfred, I appreciate it."  
  
Alfred stopped his straightening and looked me straight in the eye. "Will you be staying in Gotham, Master Tim?" Nothing like getting straight to the heart of the matter.  
  
"I don't know yet, Alfred. I have a couple of people I need to talk to, and then I'll be able to make that decision." I slung my load of stuff to the floor and double-checked my weapons, as I did every night. "I'm just gonna have to wait and see."  
  
"Well, I hope that whatever your decision is, you'll consider this a home to you. I know Master Bruce feels that way." With that he quietly left me to my own devises, shutting the door behind him.  
  
I wasn't so sure about what 'Master Bruce' thought, but since I wasn't likely to find out tonight, I stripped of the remainder of my gear and almost fell into bed. I positioned my self to be able to see both the door and the window out of habit and without even realizing it I'd placed both of my bo's under my pillow. Hmmm, I think I'm getting paranoid.  
  
I'd planned on lying there and thinking about the evening and how I was going to deal with my father, but sleep claimed me before I got very far.  
  
END. for now.  
  
Notes:  
  
*pronounced hsing-i. This is an actual Chinese internal martial art form. I know nothing about it other than the name looked cool when I was looking for something official to call what Tim does here. Hopefully I didn't use it too out of context.  
  
  
  
Adam - hey, thanks for the review suggestion about Tim's statement in Nightwing #6. I don't currently get comic subscriptions, so I'm not always up to date on everything. I probably won't be following continuity perfectly, (I'm kinda stumped on what to do with Spoiler. ;), but I'll try to work in your suggestion somewhere. I just have to think of something that might have made him change his mind. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.  
  
To the rest of you wonderful reviewers, thanks, and don't be afraid to leave suggestions or comments on how I could improve this. My feelings don't get hurt easily, and I'm really good at ignoring suggestions that I don't like. As Tim would say, "Heh." I am planning on several more fics in this storyline, and the next one will be coming soon, probably by the first of the year. It's going to deal with the Jack Drake situation. Until then, krtshadow. 


End file.
